Strategy For Betting on Horse Racing

We should start out by making it very clear that there's no
guaranteed recipe for success when it comes to horse racing
betting, and it's not easy to consistently turn a profit. That
being said, there are plenty of people out there who do, and you
can certainly increase your chances of winning by putting some
effort into your selections. Those bettors who are truly
successful at horse racing generally work very hard to give
themselves some kind of advantage, and you'll also need a
strong work ethic if you are to succeed. Below we offer advice
on horse racing betting strategy, covering the following:

The Form Guide & Research

Pre-Race Observation

Value Betting

How to Place Your Bets

Money Management

The Form Guide & Research

A form guide contains a wealth of information pertaining to
the horses running in a race. You'll find a host of useful
statistics and results that can help you get a feel for those
that have a chance of winning a given race. In particular, you
should look at recent results, as winning horses are consistent,
in good form and often the most likely to be competitive in an
upcoming race. However, recent form isn't necessarily a good
enough guide by itself, and there are a number of other factors
to take into account. If you research the right kind of
information, you'll be in a strong position to decide which
horses have an advantage in a race.

The distance of a race is certainly a consideration. For
example, a horse may have won several recent events, but those
races could have been at shorter distances than the upcoming
event. Most horses will have a preferred race distance, so it's
usually a good idea to look for those who have been successful
over a similar or same distance. You also need to think about
the surface and the "going," a term used to describe its
condition. Again, horses tend to have a preferred surface and a
preferred going. Ideally, you should try to research the
distances, surfaces, and going that a horse might favor before
placing a bet.

You also need to consider the class, or grade, of race a
horse has run previously. Horse races across the world are
categorized into classes or grades based on quality. A horse
that has been very successful in recent races may have been
running in low-class races and now is about to take part in a
major race. This doesn't mean the horse has no chance, of
course, but another horse that has been reasonably successful in
other high-quality races may have a better one. You might
also want to look at how successful a horse has been at the
relevant racecourse, as some horses do much better at some
courses than others.

It's not only the form of a horse that you should be
researching: you should also look at the form of the jockey and
trainer, again taking factors like course and distance into
account. Just like horses, some jockeys and trainers do well at
certain courses and distances but not so well at others. Of
course, you don't necessarily need to look into things too
deeply if you are only betting for a bit of fun. This kind of
research isn't particularly exciting, and you should only worry
about these things if you are serious about trying to make money
out of horse racing betting.

Pre-Race Observation

This isn't something that's always going to be possible for
you, but if you are watching a race on television or actually at
the racecourse, then you can perhaps learn a little bit about a
horse's chances by watching it in the parade ring before the
event. Obviously, the more you know about horses, the more you
will be able to gauge simply by watching them. Look out for the
general condition of a horse and its demeanor in the ring. A
well-toned body with a clean and shiny coat is usually a good
sign, as is the alertness with its head held up high. A horse
that looks distracted, nervous, or uncomfortable is possibly one
to avoid in the betting.

Value Betting

One very important, yet often overlooked, aspect of betting
on horse racing is value. If you are to make money out of horse
racing betting consistently, then it's absolutely vital that you
bet for value. You should try and place a bet where the odds are
greater than the actual chance of winning. Value bets won't
always win, but if you have the ability to spot good ones, then
you'll have a very good chance of prevailing in the long run.

We should also mention something about favorites;the horses
deemed most likely to win, and as such have the lowest odds.
Some bettors will avoid the favorites, but this isn't
necessarily a good strategy. While it's not a good idea to
simply bet on the favorite every single time, there are times
when it is the right bet. After all, it's much better to win
backing a horse at low odds than to lose backing a horse at high
odds. This really comes down to value, again, and backing your
own judgment. If the odds on a favorite represent a fair price
or good value and you genuinely believe it's going to win, there's no reason not to back it.

How to Place Bets

This isn't directly about choosing which horses to back, but
it's something worthy of consideration nonetheless; and you should
put some thought into deciding how and where to place your bets.
You could use a bookmakers shop if you have a local one; simply
go in whenever you want to place a bet. Alternatively, you could
use a telephone betting service. If you are at the racecourse,
there will probably be a number of on course options. However,
in our opinion, the best way to do horse racing betting is
online for a number of reasons.

One such reason is convenience. There's a number of online
horse racing betting sites on the web, all generally very
user-friendly. All you need is a computer and access to the
Internet, and you can place your bets from the comfort of your
own home any time you want. You can compare the odds available
on races at different sites and place your bets at the most
favorable price. A number of online betting sites also make it
easy for you to do research as they publish useful race results
and statistics. Even if they don't, there are plenty of places
online where you can get this kind of information.

Many of the best horse racing betting sites are accessible
through a smart phone or mobile device, so you can quite
literally bet whenever and wherever you want. It's also worth
noting that if you use an online gambling site that offers good
bonuses and promotions, you can get some extra money back or
free bets just for placing your bets with them. This isn't
something you will get from a bookmakers shop or a racecourse
betting outlet! You can find the best bonuses by trying any of
the gambling sites reviewed on our
homepage.

Money Management

Our final piece of advice is to spend your money wisely when
betting on horse racing. One rule to definitely be aware of is
that you don't need to bet on every race. This is something a
lot of beginners do, and it's usually a mistake. There are many
types of horse racing taking place all over the world, and it's
very unlikely that you (or anyone for that matter) will be able
to follow it all closely enough to be successful in your
betting. You are much better off trying to become something of
an expert in one particular type of racing, looking for value
bets, and only betting when you have good reason to. If you are
struggling to decide which horse you think will win a race, just
wait for a better opportunity.

Another rule, which applies to all forms of gambling really,
is that you should never chase your losses. If you go on a bad
run and back a lot of losers, either take a break for a while or
reduce your stakes until you get your confidence back. You
should always set a budget with which you are happy and
comfortable losing, and stick to it. Never bet with money you
cannot afford, and always gamble responsibly.